I developed this light and tasty Italian-style tuna salad for Parma, an Italian fresh-made fast-food company that had quite a successful run in Philadelphia, including Air Parma at the airport. The salad is light because the tuna is dressed with olive oil and fresh lemon juice instead of the usual mayonnaise. The fresh herbs give it brightness, and the red bell peppers and purple olives make for a colorful and appetizing preparation. The important thing here is to use the tasty tuna packed in olive oil enjoyed throughout the Mediterranean region, rather than the drier, rather mealy white tuna packed in water.

Preparation

Using a whisk or an immersion blender, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, tarragon, and parsley. Lightly chunk the tuna, then toss it with the fennel, celery, onion, and most of the dressing. Reserve.

If you're using mixed greens, trim, wash, dry, and slice them cross-wise into 1-inch-wide strips. Toss the mixed greens or spring mix with the remaining dressing. Arrange on serving plates. Top with the Tuna Salad, and garnish with the bell peppers and olives.

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Reviews

I adjusted the lemon juice to taste, I made the recipe twice so far. The first time I followed the recipe using lemon juice to taste. Today I added diced avacado and 2 chopped hard boiled eggs. Delicious.

I omitted fennel and parsley and added 6 green onions (white/light green parts only). I also couldn't find olive oil-packed tuna, so I used a common brand canned tuna packed in vegetable oil. Taking previous reviewers' advice, I added lemon juice to taste instead of the full 1/2 cup. Threw the tuna salad between two slices of wheat Tuscan bread with some lite cheddar. It was delish! HELLO, new healthy lunch staple.

I loved this recipe! Since I was making it for a panini instead of a salad, I used canned tuna in water and added the olive oil and lemon to taste- just enough to give it the right consistency. I didn't have the tarragon or fresh fennel so I used fennel seeds instead and that worked very well. Put it on a sandwich with some specialty cheddar it is wonderful. Goodbye mayo and pickles!

I really liked this recipe. I added half the liquid called for, as someone else had recommended. Glad I did, because anymore would have been too much. This is also really good grilled on sourdough bread with cheddar cheese.

Simple and delicious! I made this recipe for an impromptu picnic that my fiance requested for his birthday. I had everything EXCEPT fennel and salad greens. So...I made the tuna salad as directed (minus fennel) and decided to make sandwiches. Accordingly, I reduced the amount of olive oil and lemon juice so that it would not be runny.
I used Arnold whole wheat sandwich thins and placed a large fresh basil leaf on the bottom slice. I spooned the tuna salad on top of the basil and placed a thick slice of red bell pepper on top of the tuna for crunch. I finished the sandwich with Maille brand dijon mustard on the top bun. Yum, yum, and YUMMY! The basil takes the flavors to a new level! I may eventually get around to trying the salad, but it will DEFINITELY have basil incorporated.

I came back from vacation to a fridge with only a few useable items and stumbled onto this recipe that would make use of them. It ended up being my best meal of the week! Loved the flavors and will definitely make this again. The only change that I made was the onion- I don't tend to like raw onion so I quickly pickled fine slices in white wine tarragon vinegar. Loved it this way. My husband thought it looked too meager for a meal so he put this on top of a bowl of pasta- it tasted great like that as well!

Very good salad. I
made it with
water-packed
albacore tuna and
used a lot less
olive oil. I also
added a can of great
northern beans. My
husband
and daughters
thought it was too
sour, but they tend
not to like lemon
juice. I thought
this was a very nice
flavor combination,
the fennel and
tarragon added a
pleasant complexity.
I will definitely
make this again.

Great recipe. I also like to use water-packed tuna, or will drain the oil from the tuna and use for part of the oil in the dressing to lighten it up a bit. To make it heartier, I like to add some cannelini beans, and if I have some roasted red pepper or shaved carrot in the fridge, I throw that in for some color. Always gets rave reviews!

I'm a caterer and we
did a party outside
in the summer
because I wanted a
tuna salad without
mayo. I just did
the tuna salad part.
It has been the
biggest hit and we
have used it a
number of times
since. My family
loves it too. This
is a GREAT recipe.

Amazing, awesome, great recipe. Am used to the traditional mayo based tuna salad--this was SUCH a refreshing change. I am officially a convert. Followed recipe to a t, wouldn't change anything. Would be a fabulous lunch for guests atop a bed of spinach or other greens.